History and Her
by TheOriginalSnakeEyes
Summary: Focusing on Keigo Asano and his out look on life, possibily a romance or two involved…who knows? A warning: weird chapter ahead.
1. Imprints

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own it, that's my name you see on the books…yeah.

Authors Notes: I really should be focusing on my other stories, or my comics, or just sleeping like a normal mammal but you know how it goes. Note: I realize that there will be multiple spelling errors and punctuation mistakes; for the most part this is intentional as from what I've gathered from the Bleach comics, Keigo is not the most eloquent speaker.

History and Her

Chapter One: Imprints

_I never used to like academics much, let alone history for that matter, but like a certain other affection, it crept up on me without me knowing._

_Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? Sorry, I have that habit of talking to people like I know them, but…I guess I'm finding that I really don't know as much as I'd like. Wait, wait, let me back up again, sorry, my name is Keigo Asano, and despite being a dead ringer for Ewan McGregor (despite what anyone in this nation thinks), I'm pretty average. _

"Yo Keigo, wake up dude, lunch boy." This charming statement came courtesy of my good buddy Mizuiro Kojima who jarred my out of my own out of class narrative.

"Ow, ow, alright just stop poking me!" I yell out, sliding out of my seat and shoving some books and whatever other useless academic "stuff" I just happen to have. Letting Mizuiro walk out ahead of me, I had to quickly make sure that the last book in my pile was safe. **_Modern History and its Effects on Contemporary Events_**, now all you out there don't know me as of yet, but I'm not exactly known around the school as being into anything academic, let alone something like history. But lately-

"Keigo, Mizuiro told me you were still here, get your butt out here man." Yet another of my good buddies, one Ichigo Kurosaki whose knack for the vernacular _(damn, am I using that one right? English is no-no)_ was even more basic than Mizuiros'.

"I'm coming, hold your frikkin shirt Ichig- what is it?" I asked with a sense of dread as Ichigo had a slow, very very slight grin beginning on his face which was a wonder in itself as Ichigo barely ever grinned cept for some other reasons, but damn I'm getting ahead of myself again.

"What are you reading there, Keigo?" Ichigo said, pointing to the very thick, very bold titled history book sticking out of my back pack. Realizing that my non-reputation was at stake, I had to think quickly.

"…Jeez Ichigo, you are so far behind the damn times…I mean…all the bad asses in America do…uh…this…?" I say, not even comprehending just what the hell I am saying. I pray, I pray, I pray.

"Do…what exactly?" alias: Strawberry responds, genuinely confused. Yeah! He fell for it, he knows bout me my thing for American celebs….alright, ride it out Keigo…

"Yeah, check it out!" I yell, showing the contents of the history book…with a little something "extra".

"Should a' known, you and Mizuiro have got hormone problems." Ichigo mutters, scratching his orange covered scalp and turning away with a slight blush at seeing the "adult special interest" magazine I had slipped between the covers of the **book**. Wow, thank Buddha that idiot from Class Four dropped it earlier.

"Ichigo, what's the hold up?" stated a voice I knew all too well. Ichigo seemed to look a combination of uncaring and apathetic when Rukia Kuchiki quite literally appeared next to him.

"What hold up, me and Keigo were just talking, that's all." He said, looking down at her, almost as if to challenge her. I still don't know why he bothers; Rukia may be short and a hottie, but every time they square off, Ichigo always ends up with a punch to the gut and being dragged off by that raven haired goddess to who knows where.

"Just…talking, what's that?" Rukia asks, her eyes directed towards my still open book…oh…crap! Realizing too late, I slam the book shut only to then realize my fingers where still in the book. With a grin/grimace I must go on!  
"Just a…one of the new girly comics from…Kodansha?" Shit, do they even make girly comics? Rukia regards me with a raised eyebrow until…

"Really? Can I see? I think there was a preview for it in last months-"damn her! The girl likes girly comics, who the hell would a thunk it! Again quickly, my eyes dart to Ichigos, come on Strawberry, come through for me boy…

"Uh, Rukia, you don't want to see that!" Ichigo said, placing himself between the book with pages now changing color due to blood o my fingers and the approaching cutie.

"Why not? Why the blush Ichigo?" she asked. Damn this was awkward, come on, Buddha, Lord, Allah, Jehovah, someone, anyone…

"Hmm?" Rukia thankfully stopped her inquiry as a sound emanated from her…chest of all places. Turning around, I swear I just saw her stick her hand down her shirt. Before I can even comprehend what the hell just happened, Rukia whirled around again and whispered something to Ichigo.

"Hey Keigo, tell the others I gotta go, uh stomach pains ouch!" Ichigo yelled out, come on Strawberry you can't honestly expect me to believe that. Somehow I think Rukia agreed…which might explain why she belted Ichigo in the gut. With a smile that seemed too happy and a…curtsey? Well anyway, Rukia and Ichigo then left, well, rather Rukia dragged Ichigo away.

"Strawberry, you work fast, already got a girl beating you down." I mutter to an empty classroom. Putting the damn book away, I shoulder my load and set off down the halls. But…without Mizuiro to goof off with or even Ichigo to annoy I'm left to think, and for me that's an annoying thing.

Man…all around me, I'm surrounded by people with…how do I even describe it…I don't know…cool things that give them a leg up or something. I mean…Mizuiro is a chick magnet for reasons far and beyond me, Ichigo (the guy who tries to be such a bad ass and I guess he's pulling it off? Regardless he's got an IQ too, eighteenth in the school?!) and Rukia have _something_ going on, I don't know what and unlike that big mouth Mizuiro I don't care to. And then there's my buddy Chad, the guys a behemoth especially for this country, jeez. If the dude just talked more I'm sure the chicks would give him decent play.

"Keigo, what the heck kept you, lunch is almost over…hey where's Strawberry?" Mizuiro asked, finishing up his lunch in our usual lunch spot.

"Huh? Oh, uh he and Ruk-" suddenly a thought occurs to me…Ichigo always flat out denies any connection to Rukia, and Mizuiro is a blabber mouth so…what the hell I'll do the buddy thing. "Ichigo took off, think he got the runs or something, family emergency? Who knows with him?" Chad grunted in response like he did to just about anything short of a car in his crotch, Mizuiro looked a little hyped with what I **almost** said, but oh well sorry buddy.

Crap, I just realized I have something like eight minutes to finish my lunch…great fingers freaked and Strawberry screws me again. (Actually no, sounds cool though?) Anyway; me, Mizuiro and Chad talked about nothing in particular, you know typical teenage guy stuff. What girls hot, what movie sucked, shop talk? Well, they're the ones talking; I'm the one stuffing my face in a race to beat the clock! (I always hated that board game.) Everything was going normally and swimmingly until of course:

"Hey, you guys seen Ichigo?" Orihime Inoue in all of her boob busted glory asked with…well…her friend, Tatsuki Arisawa.

"Nah, took off in all his bad asserey, would you ladies care to join us instead?" Mizuiro asked, flashing the face that made most girls melt…except these two apparently.

"We ate our lunches already you dork." Tatsuki said sitting down anyway, with Orihime right next to her. Should I mention Tatsuki was right next to me? No? Well, now my minds going haywire, I got not one but too fine examples of the species known as female right next to me…hey wait, I finished my lunch, record for sure. Wait, what am I thinking? I gotta say something, anything to one or both of them…but I maybe…damn it…shit I can't frikkin talk!

"Hey Keigo, something wrong?" Tatsuki asked, one of her eyebrows arching.

"What? Me? Nah, I'm cool, real cool totally bad ass to the-"suddenly Chad cut me off.

"Hands, what happened?" it takes me a second to process this…wait…of course, he means my cut up hands from the girly mag in that history book.

"Oh, it looks like there's a word on your hands. I think I can make it out, it looks like: '_…turn…long…hard…'" _Orihime of course couldn't understand the nature of the words, but oh how lucky I was to have the eagle eye of Chad, Mizuiro and Tatsuki all bearing down…I told you, I'm generally not a guy who meshes well with academia…

To Be Continued


	2. Bloody Covers

Disclaimer: Same as previous chapter, unless it isn't which it isn't…huh?

Authors Notes: To Jingle Bells: Thank you for reviewing my story and I'm glad you're looking forward to more. As for the Keigo/Tatsuki thing…hey come on, I just started. Also as a side note, this story is not canon in any sense considering I'm only up to volume four in the manga, so if any of you have issues, feel free to correct me.

History and Her

Chapter Two: Bloody Covers

_You know, for a guy claiming to be 'in the know' about all things in style, I'm usually about six feet from being in the loop about almost anything else._

Guys reading adult mags are a pretty common thing, guys getting beat up for reading adult mags are a slightly less common thing, however, guys getting beat up by girls for reading girly mags are a little more common, right?

"Guys…seriously, it's not what you think." I say with about as much confidence as…wait…what's that science term…the space one? Damn, Ichigo would know. Not left with many options I duck my hands behind my back. Or at least I try to before Tatsuki grabs my right arm in what felt like her 200kg grip.

"Keigo, what the hells the matter with you!?" she yells, yells right in my ear. Of course that's not enough, no, oh no, people start staring. Not at Tatsuki though for fear of their asses being royally handed to them on a silver platter, but rather at me, Keigo Asano…the unknown boy. Despite Tatsukis' anger, I can hear Mizuiro chuckling behind her.

"Keigo, we're all curious, but you can't let yourself get caught like that." He said like a bigger brother would, hell the guys like half my height! I was about to give him a look that said "Not helping idiot!", but I was too busy wondering if any feeling would ever come back ever to my poor right arm. I needed that arm…for…stuff. Thinking it would be best just to start muttering an apology I then looked to Chad, who in turn just nodded. Damn it Chad, I'm not a perv! You know that!

"Curious? What do you mean curious?" Orihime said. Mizuiro not realizing of course that he was about three feet or so from walking death decided to begin explaining the details of a good ol' fashioned skin mag.

"Well Orihime, those books, those magazines are for-"suddenly my right arm was free, and at just that instant both of Mizuiros were not.

"Tatsuki, why are you doing that? And why is Mizuiro turning that color?" and then the bell!

0000000000

After what feels like who knows how long, the day finally ends, the school day anyway. Walking down some stares and saying some goodbyes to people I think I know (I'm not trying to be deep or anything I just honestly can't say for sure if they know my first name.) I keep going down the halls until I reach the stairs. Ah, that feels nice, an autumn breeze to add a little of the old theatrical touch to my solo walk.

Alone? Yeah I walk alone; it's really not a big deal. I mean let me explain, I live in Naruki, kind of far, kind of not I guess. I could always bug one of my parents to drop me off at school but they're busy people and hey, a little exercise never hurt, right? The walk takes awhile, but I get to go my own way, considering I'm not really a part of any clubs or sports or anything it's relaxing.

Anyway, the reason I walk alone, wait, let me back up to the golden age of comics. Or actually back to when me and my buds all walked home together. Let's see, from what I can remember me and Mizuiro were friends first, and then we met Ichigo and Tatsuki. Being the mature gents we were, we would have taken offense to walking home with a girl (don't give me that look! We were like what? Eight?) But, well, we didn't actually realize that Tatsuki wasn't a boy until some time later, like a few months at least. Funny little event that was let me tell you, but not now, later.

Everything was pretty cool for awhile, a little while anyway. But at some point, I don't know. I mean I don't want to sound like some typical teenage idiot pretending to be Shakespeare or anything but I guess in a manner of speaking…reality hit and hard, for one of us at least. When Ichigos' mom died, we were all affected, Ichigo obviously was hit by and far the hardest, but eventually we were all effected if only a little bit. Ichigo quickly started talking less and frowning more and along with Tatsuki hit the dojo harder and more often.

From there Ichigo and Tatsuki sort of broke off from the rest of us, and even a little from each other as Orihime got friendly with Tatsuki. It went on for a few years pretty much the same, Chad had his growth spurt and got into loud shirts, Mizuiro got "cute" and the girls (and certain guys, I never let him live those times down!) began to notice.

So, Mizuiro had his girls and Chad had, it's kind of weird, Chad just sort of went off and began doing his own thing. Don't get me wrong he still hung out with all of us, but there would be times when he would disappear and just as quickly come back. These returns were usually marked with a few scars and ripped shirts, but hey the "Living Tank" could and would brush it off so why should we poke?

Not to interrupt your regularly scheduled flashback sequence but I feel the need for some music about now. Music has always had a place in my mind, if only for making the walk back to Naruki go a little quicker. Good, "Orange Range" by Asterisk, good song and even made better by the fact it's the full mix not the 1:35 demo they have floating around out there. I don't even want to get into how many freaking download sites I had to slog through to get to this gem; it's practically like a child. I'm not serious don't worry, you worried?

I keep walking, keep going, see people all around me. Walking alone is no big thing; it's just me I guess. Still when I'm alone like this I get some time to think which as cliché ironic as it may seem I just can't seem to do in school. I get to thinking about my friends, and I don't know, I feel like I'm out of place even with all of them. They all have their "thing" that they do, their own little (niche? yeah niche works) and again maybe I'm just nuts but it's like they're all connected in some way a guy like me can't…whatever, never mind.

What stopped my little long thought there was not some grand answer or something, or even me stepping in dog crap. What stopped me was me seeing a certain bastard from my school, so much of a bastard in fact that I stash my CD-Player.

"Names Oshima ya dick, remember it!" the orange haired ass hole yelled out. Damn it, of all the alleys I had to pass on my way home, I had to happen by this little pissers stomp session with some poor slob from our class. His back is to me as I pass so I don't have to worry about him touching me, just have to keep walking I'm just a few blocks from home, it's not my problem. Not my problem, not my problem, shit, it's not my problem, it's **not **my problem. Keep going, keep walking, no you idiot, don't stop, don't look back. It's not, I repeat, **NOT** your problem.

"Oshima, what the hells your issue?" I yelled…wait…**I **yelled? Maybe he didn't hear-

"Who the fu- Oh it's one of Strawberry Ass' little playmates. The hell you doing out here?" the carrot top asshole asks me, damn, I'm shaking, why the hell did I have to have my heavy stuff in my bag today!? Dropping his current appointment he stomps over to me to show off his one skull height advantage. Looking around, almost cautiously he looks back.

"Chad and Strawberry aren't with you? You on your own boy?" at this point, the guy on the ground takes off (So much for loyalty among the bullied.) I don't say a thing, he shoves me, I grimace, he shoves me again, I don't do anything, I glare, he shoves me again.

"I don't get you Asano. You're obviously a little pussy, but you get another pussy off without either of your manly bitches around to-"

"Stomp your jailbait poser ass into the ground?" did I say that? Damn, for just a minute there I sounded like a badass, like Ichigo or something. Then I can the twitch in his eye, the almost double take at his surprise. He was probably as surprised as me. Not too surprised to kick me in the stomach apparently. A slam over my head and I'm on my knees.

"What the hell did you say bitch?! Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Suddenly as if the great spirit of jackasserey graced Oshimas mind with the revelation that my back pack might just might be heavy, he put something down, I can only assume it was his foot as he stepped me down again and again into the delicious pavement.

"I got news for you Jack Ass! You're not Kurosaki, and you're not Chad! You don't say shit to me but to kiss my ass!" again, into the cement. "You're nothing, you're Keigo shitting Asano!" again. "You're a loser, a poser, what…the hell?" again I'm tasting rock, and I feel spit on my hands. Then I remember with dread that I left my pack open, shit, my history book!  
"**_Modern History and its Effects on Contemporary Events_**? What the hell is this crap? You into history limp dick? Here's some modern history for you-"I didn't have to guess at what he was going to do. I could see it in my mind. Ripping, spitting MY book.

My name is Keigo Asano; I live in Naruki, Tokyo Japan. I'm in high school, I happen to like cute girls and I also like history, I'm addicted to it, studying it, learning it, watching it. Next to honey hunting or cutie catching it's the best thing in my world right now.

"This looks expensive, maybe I should just take it off your-"before the carrot top can even realize, my back pack is off and I'm standing. Oshima, that book is mine! Before I know it I punched him. I punched him, twice. Three times, and then for a little more pay back I kick him where to the best of my judgment he kicked me. My book topples out of his hand, and forgetting for just a moment-

"Damn man, stay the hell away from-"Oshima screeches before I rotate my history book into his greasy poser ass face, that nose rings gotta go ass. He's only on the ground a few seconds; he scrambles up and with a look up, here and there. The coward takes off.

Man, I'm panting like a dog, bleeding like a dead one and the book I just saved is smeared with some blood.

"…" I try to talk to myself. Thinking a moment on the moments that just happened, I can't help but ask…what the hell!? The breeze autumn makes a second show and I get to walk home with it and, something else that I haven't had in awhile.

0000000000

"I'm home." I say to my dad, currently reclining in TV land. I say hi to him and my mom, but I instead get the old degree.

"Keigo, what happened to you?" my Mom asks. Oh yeah, I forgot my shirt was ripped and I happen to have some dirt and stuff on my face…and blood.

"Did something happen at school, someone hit you?" my dad asks getting up, with my mom getting some band aids and that bane awful iodine. I have something now guys, I have my own something.

"Mom, Dad, I'm fine really, just a little baseball with Ichigo, Chad and Tatsuki. They play a little rough, especially those dojo rats, ya know?" I laugh it off and thank the manga stars at CLAMP they believe me, well, Ichigo and Tatsuki are kind of that way and Chad's a tank. Dubbing down the medical treatment to a shower, I salute to the best of my comical ability and jet off to my room. Once there I set down the book on my desk and sit down without even thinking I start to thumb the blood stains, the book, the one I fought for…dude, I **fought** for something, I know this sounds stupid and immature and all that but…that is so bitchin'.

Looking at the blood stains, I consider for exactly one thirty second of a second to wash the stains off. But then I can feel my smile as I decide I really dig the cover now, hey, it depicts a war, wars have blood, ya know?

Thinking of you knows, I suddenly have the urge to bother a girl, tomorrow anyway…heh.

To Be Continued


	3. Dazed Day

Disclaimer: Same as always, no me own, or something.

Authors Notes: Sorry for no update for a while, school, job. You know, busy busy. Anyway, To Jingle Bells: Thanks for reviewing again, and as for your question…well people will review when they review or something deep like that.

History and Her

Chapter Three: Dazed Day

_You would think that school kind of flows after a while. Truth is, it doesn't, and being that way can get boring real quick. Whatever, if I have any advice it's this: keep your mind occupied, yeah that works._

My buddy Ichigo, when he walks into school with bandages or bruises on his face, its no big deal, but, when I walked in with a few on my face…things got kind of dicey…and not in the summer blockbuster way.

"Man Keigo, what the hell happened to you?" Mizurio asked, sitting down next to me like he does everyday, because you know, seating charts and stuff. I shuffle away my history book, damn; I was just getting to the Seinan Uprising…anyway.

"Nothing happened; I uh…cut myself shaving." I lied through my teeth, damn me and my _still _baby face.

"Uh huh." He said, obviously not convinced. Wanting to squash this quick before Mizurio the Mega Mouth tells the school his "truth" about the matter, I put my head down and with a really cool low voice, I tell the "truth".

"I was fighting ghosts, apparently me and my twin from across the pond…you know Ewan McGregor? Well we're both ghost fighters who fight ghosts with uh…uh…ghost fighting swords…and…dude look its Orihime!" lucky for me Mizuiro is a total horn dog and he, like most of the other guys (and a few girls as he has told me) are totally submissive to the power of Orihimes' chest. Though he's a bit cooler about it than most Mizuiro still lets his eyes fall there every now and then, again lucky for me.

Now, if you knew Orihime, you would know that she's not dumb, rather she's just native…no wait, naïve. Sorry I was up late watching that Chrono Crusade show. Who the hell puts an anime on at two in the morning? Besides that weird programming block in America…bad swimming or whatever the heck it's called. Anyway, back on topic, Orihime is naïve, and quite prone to a person taking advantage of her. But, there are two, no, three people who would kill for her. One being Tatsuki, the Tale Vudo chick always at her side, two would be Mr. Badass Ichigo, and three would be Chad, I mean he kicked Oshimas ass for Ichigo.

Oh wait…I beat Oshima too. Damn, can't help if that brings a smile to my face, but that butt hole deserved it. Speaking of which the jerks absent from school today and his buddies (all one of them) have been avoiding me like the plague.

Again, anyway it's going pretty normally here at school. Ichigo was in for a little while that morning, but he and Rukia took off again. Jeez, those two. Whatever it is they're doing it won't matter. It's going to get to the point where me covering for them won't be enough and Mizuiro and his mouth will take over.

Realizing that my math teacher, Mr.Senzura (everyone calls him Senzuri) was just droning on and that Mizuiro was still ogling Orihime. I was able to smuggle out my book, my history book, and finally get some reading done. With a smile I can feel creeping up my chin as I turn to the chapter on the Seinan War, wanting to see how this one got started, but before I begin I look up and see that all the guys (except Chad, I swear that guys asleep, and Ichigo obviously, him not being here.) are **all** ogling Orihime as well as a few of the girls, that Chizuru being one of them, I swear that has to be an act. That whole lesbian thing she has going on seems so damn forced…but again in my deep mind: whatever.

Looking out and around the class I take a peek at Orihime. Cute. Just not my type really, I then see her friend, the girl who always seems to be near her in some respect: Tatsuki Arisawa. She's in my opinion way hotter than Orihime. Course if I told her, she'd beat my face in. She's like that, but as long as I don't do anything stupid I stay on her good side. Lucky again for me that after hanging out with her and Orihime that morning with the guys she has all but forgiven me about the whole "special interest magazine" incident of the day before. Tatsuki always seems protective of Orihime, and today it one hell of a non-exception. The girl is glaring daggers at everyone, not to mention grinding her fist into her desk. Needless to say, the guys (and girls) got the point and backed off.

However, something weird happened, my eyes met hers. Nothing stupid or deep or anything but just for a moment, her glare met my blood shot from too much TV the night before eyes. Her glare disappeared and I had to blink a few times, what the hell? She jerks her head a bit towards Orihime with a questioning look. I take a look around, nope no one else she's referring too. Chad's snoring (called it.), Mizuiro's praying and…wait…that just leaves me?

I look again and she still has that questioning look, I then realize what it means. She thinks I was ogling? No, no way, never, not a chance, well, at least not as long as the other guys were. Imagine how difficult it was trying to convey this in a nod, so imagine instead me just nodding "Hell no!" slightly frantically but with a little grace and poise. Tatsuki quirks an eyebrow but then turns her head back to the front of the class, I breathe the quietest sigh my lungs could allow.

Ah, one crisis averted I think. Now I can get back to my history or more technically my history book on contemporary historical events. Cracking open what I consider to be my holy tome, I look down at the pages and wonder if I should look to Stalingrad next but so predictably…the friggin bell destroys history.

0000000000

"Yo Keigo!" damn it all to hell! Why won't Mizuiro bug off? Yeah he's my buddy, but you need to understand that I understand him better than he does. That means I know he's going to ask:

"So what's the deal with those bandages man? You get into a fight…nah, you trying to impersonate Strawberry and trick the girls into **thinking** you had a fight?" Mizuiro asked. I felt like proving that I had had a fight right then and there, by using Mizuiro to reenact it with. But I was tired, and those damn institutional torture books (excluding my mags and my history book of course.) in my back pack were crushing my spine faster than the French over the Rhineland…damn, World War II pop in. I look at him for a second, gauging whether I could bull shit him before passing period was over. My class wasn't too far down the hall…

"Look Mizuiro, I just…fell asleep, slammed my head down on some pens…while drawing my new manga for Jump magazine. Jeez, ya got me." I say with all the actors flourish I could muster. Mizuiro is about to respond, but Orihime and Tatsuki then appear at both his sides (lucky guy).

"Hey Mizuiro do you know where Ichigo is today?" Orihime asked, her innocence making me feel guilty for ever thinking a "naughty" thought about her. Mizuiro nods with a disappointed look; I guess a little put off that he can't get some dirt on me…yet.

"Dunno Orihime. Ichigo took off with Rukia before you or Tatsuki got here. I think some it was some kind of family emergency or something."

"Whose, Ichigos?" Tatsuki asked.

"Nah, I think it was Rukias, I mean, Keigo and I heard her cell phone ring." The two girls and one Mizuiro looked to me for confirmation. Whoa, I forgot I was there a minute, trippy huh? Yeah, well I nodded in the affirmative with a yawn. Mizuiro and Orihime then walk on to class…wait, two? Where's-

"Hey Keigo, can we talk?" Tatsuki said, looking up slightly at me. Oh yeah I forget I am taller than her. I'm not really sure what to say, this girl has never wanted to talk to me exclusively, hell she once referred to me as "infamously delusional".

"Uh, maybe after school or something you know…class. That we should get to…in the next thirty seconds?" I say realizing that the bell is literally thirty seconds away.

"Alright, after school then," she says to my back, damn. "I want to know who kicked your ass, or whose ass you kicked, okay?" she said with a pat on my shoulder and a dash to class.

The bell rings and I'm stuck out in the hall, late. What the hell is going on? Suddenly I see Rukia dash past me and into the class. Wait a second, if Rukia is here than that means only one thing. A second later Ichigo stumbles up next to me, face freshly filled with bandages, looking at me with my new bandages we as guys have only one thing to say:

"S'up."

To Be Continued


	4. Fancy some Fantasy?

Disclaimer: Same.

Authors Notes: I guess it's been a little while huh? I'm really floored by all the positive response this story has been getting; you guys out there are the best! I only hope I can keep it up. Anyway I'll get to the individual reviewer response downstairs like usual, thanks again to all who reviewed.

History and Her

Chapter Four: Fancy some Fantasy?

_If you think about it, and I mean **REALLY** think about it, boredom is the most horrible way to go. Staying awake is a crusade no matter who you are…even Ewan McGregor._

Now, let me catch you up, I like history. Been reading it for awhile now…well not for that long but whatever, I enjoy it. Now, there is one time when I don't like history, when the idiot from my school calling himself a teacher attempts to teach it…wow, mouthful. The guys name is Lannom Kinue; he's some kind of transfer teacher from America. Now, I don't know really anything about America (that's between you and me of course, I have a rep to consider) but if he is an example of teachers there than I feel bad for the guys and gals there.

"Alright all of you we're now going to watch…**shut up all of you!** Yeah okay, now we're going to watch that lovely Gandhi movie with Ben Kingsley in it, so all of you keep your heads shut and watch." Lannom said scratching his black and white beard as he fumbled with the laser disc.

"Dude is that vinyl?"

"No man it's just a big DVD."

"Wait…Gandhi? Aren't we studying the Korean War?" asked some random student. Lannom looked over with the utmost malice at the poor girl.

"You just don't get it…do you fancy face?" Lannom remarked, spinning on his heel. I choke back a laugh, the guy is **high**. And I don't mean that as an insult I've seen the guy light before class a couple times. Hell, he even offered Chizuru and Ryo some one day. Oh well, in terms of history for exams I can say without too much of a brag that I'm set. It's just the other 99.9999999 of the exams that I'm royally screwed hand my ass on a silver platter to the king screwed. So I can do without this dope and his history.

Looking around at the back of the class I see Chad asleep…again. Does that guy only wake up between classes? And he's ranked like eleventh in the school? Wait, then again this class is a wash and most of the class credit comes from us bringing in canned food for the homeless (not as good as you think, Lannom takes the food for himself since he blows his paycheck on weed according to Mizuiro, wonder if its true?) So I guess he can sleep this one through and so can I. Well I could have anyway: if two things hadn't stopped me. 1.) My imminent post mortem (post class I mean) talk with Tatsuki and more to the action packed situation at hand what with 2.) Ichigo tapping my shoulder.

"Dude, what the hell is it?" I mutter with eyes half closed off to paradise dream land of girls screaming "Keigo Keigo, save us from the lesser men!" or the crowning of "New Emperor Keigo" or just a dream of something…I don't know just me being relaxed I guess.

"Your face man, what happened?" Ichigo asked. Wait, was that, couldn't be…was that concern on Ichigos face, Badass Ichigo?" I think about calling him on this but soon find that my body has nowhere near the strength or really the "give a damn" to pull it off.

"No big deal, I cut myself shaving like I told-"

"Yeah like you told Mizuiro, that's bullshit and you know I know it. What really happened?" at this point I have raised my neck back up to find that the lights in the class are off and Lannom is still pissing around with the laser disc.

"It's no big thing. I'm still here right? Badass Keigo Asano." I say with a grin. Ichigo smirks a little within his eternal frown. He looks towards the front of the class and I do to, but knowing Ichigo…

"Was it Oshima?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper so as not to well…you know…be a jerk.

"Dude, it's nothing, seriously. I'm just a big idiot, come on." I say barely within the legal limits of a whisper. Ichigo looks at me and then over at Chad. I mentally groan, it wasn't too long ago that I'd get beat up and Ichigo and Chad took off. Then whoever beat me up would show up at school the next day with some mysterious ass kicked marks. Then again, it wasn't so long ago I was a showboating jerk but…wait…what?

"You sure Keigo? Forget your ego man, just tell me and-"at this point I realize that I'm pissed and have been pissed for awhile now.

"**Damn it Strawberry**!" I yell a little into speaking voice parameters into loud territories, crossing borders and all that. Realizing that fact I duck my head from the rapidly turning heads…or I would if Lannom hadn't been dancing going around the front of the class busting kids for sleep and praising Ben Kingsley. Ichigo looks at me with slightly wider eyes and then makes a slight cough.

"Sorry Keigo, really, it's just well…not everyday you walk in with bandages, you know?" I smirk, the opportunity for a joke wide open like chance for the pennant over Keith Hernandez.

"Afraid of a little competition Ichigo?" we both turn to hear something like a snort from a cannon only to realize Chad had just laughed, kind of anyway. We both go back to doing whatever the hell we were doing which basically meant anything else than watching Ben Kingsley play up the pacifist thing.

Finally without interruption I feel the heat of the classroom weigh on me or more to the meat weigh on my eyes. But before I surrender to Dream Land, Japan I notice a couple of odd things. Ichigo is staring forward, not at the movie, but our little bad ass red head is staring at…is that Rukia? Damn Ichigo, you masochist dog, oh well, should I call Rukia bad ass now? The other odd thing is not so much something I can't see but more like something I can't hear, like Mizuiro's mouth for example. The guys quiet, and before nodding off I notice he's looking at Orihime and Tatsuki again…go for it mans…your funeral…

Heh, I wonder if I snore, on to dream land, Japan.

_"Keigo-Chan!" someone yells, I look and see that my vision is purple…wait those are just sunglasses. Damn man, my hands are bigger and…wait…why the hell is my hair like a damn sea urchin!_

_"Keigo-Chan!" I look down and see Mizuiro or if Mizuiro was a blond with a green vest and gloves…and as a blond, is this a nightmare?_

_"What the hell is it, Mizuiro…why the hell did you say Chan?" I yell out in a voice that is way too deep for me, I suddenly get the urge to adjust my new found glasses with my middle finger. As well as bash Mizuiro over the head for no apparent reason._

_"Let's go man, Kurosaki's waiting for as at the bar!" Mizuiro says, the bubbles and suds practically leaping from his mouth._

_"Wait…what?" I try to keep up with him, winding around and around the alleys and neighborhoods._

_"We gotta run, the Beetles' in the shop remember?" I hear Mizuiro say ahead of me, what the hell is going on here? As we keep running my often underestimated but always called about in time of battle knowledge of maps comes into the DD; we're in Lower Shinjuku._

_We eventually wind up at a cute little bar, a "dive hole in the wall" like some cool gangsters from New York would put it. It's about at this point I notice a giant building in the back of the bar, actually from what it looks like its in back of all Shinjuku. A big tower made of junk or something._

_"Figures you guys are late for your own business, any plans on paying that tab anytime soon?" a guy I could swear was Ichigo's dad said from behind a bar. It kind of looked like him anyway; I mean he had red hair now, and sunglasses that covered his eyes in their whole-ness…and a pretty cool bandanna._

_"Come on Kurosaki-San, you know we're good for it! Keigo-Chan told me yesterday that we're going to make it big with today's take, right Keigo-Chan?" Mizuiro said to me, his face beaming so brightly that I thank the Great Chairman of the Board that I'm wearing sunglasses._

_"Uh…yeah, big take?" what the hell huh? Go along with the fantasy right? Why the hell would I picture this though, it all seems like…_

_"Yuzu-Chan! I forgot you were a waitress at this pathetic little dive, you ever gonna stop getting any cuter?" man, even in my dreams Mizuiro is still a horn dog! And with Strawberry's' little sister too, I can understand desperate (surprise I know) but the girl isn't even close to legal…that and Ichigo the death bringer looms ever present behind her like some kind of Dr. Doom to my…I mean Mizuiros Fantastic Four. I hate the Fantastic Four._

_"Dive, huh? Where the hell's my tab!" ouch! Is Ichigos' dad that hard up for cash to let Mizuiro hit up his daughter?_

_"So Yuzu-Chan after this big job I promise we can join a gym together, gotta keep those buns tight!" Mizuiro and Yuzu were both giggling at this; suddenly I felt an urge to belt Mizuiro over his newly blondified head, but…what the hell now?_

_"You bastard Mizuiro!" shit, is that Ichigos other sister! The dark haired ass kicker, Karin? _

_"Ow ow ow ow ow!" damn, apparently Mizuiro lacks the ability to speak well while having his head being crushed on both sides by fists…poor sap._

_"You want some too?" the black haired power house looked to me. I think about saying something along the lines of "No, hells no, leave me alone you psycho wench!" but all of the sudden…_

_"Try it ya little bitch." Did I just say that! There's being a badass and then there's being crazy! Yuzu is trying from what I can see to hold her bigger sister back, but that little force is working her way towards me. My mind is weighing the old options, but my body…lets just say I can feel myself smirk._

_"Ah Keigo-Chan! You're always getting into fights!" Mizuiro yelled out from behind a wall of muscled flesh that had stepped in front of Karin…Chad?...ow my damn head, and why the hell is he dressed like the Indian from YMCA?_

_"Don't you want the job, Mister Negotiator?" Orihime…wearing something verrrrrrrrry revealing. Normally I would take something like this in a dream in stride but now…_

_"Why the hell am I the fem thread guy?" yelled out…oh frick…Ichigo whose hair was now as long as Chad's body, should I even convey to you people out there that Ichigo was now tangled in all this…string?_

_"Calm down, its part of the style isn't it?" Rukia too? Did she chase Ichigo through the door or something, why the hell is she in sunglasses? Has she even seen Blues Brothers? Were those needles between her hands?_

_"Could you all keep it down; I'm trying to be effeminately threatening." Ishida. At this point, man, I'm not even surprised that he's sitting right next to me or that he's in all black…or that he has metal scalpels popping out between his knuckles._

_"You guys…" they're all talking. "…are not making any…" all talking over me. "…come on guys quit yelling…" never let me speak. "…just let me…come on…" they mean well, they do, but they never. "…guys, I got something to…" I have to speak, I have to be heard or acknowledged by someone. "**You guys aren't making any damn sense!**" that froze all of them._

_"Keigo, who gave you those bruises?" no one said that…what the hell is going on here? Suddenly the sunglasses fall off, I can feel them off, now my eyes…_

_They're all gone; I think I'm in an alley now. An alley outside of an old bank…_

_"A welcome home to you Master." Man, now I have a butler. Despite all this weird crap that's bitchin._

_"Master? Wait what? This is the first time I've met you."_

_"Yes, my own memories are telling me that as well, but I know in my heart of hearts that this meeting is something meaningful."_

_"Are you high? What the hell-"_

_"You have questions, yes?" is this guy for real or just like that guy from Frasier?_

_"HELL YES I DO!" the old man nodded and smiled under…holy…that is a big a mustache._

_"Simply…speaks its name into your watch and all will be made clear…" the scene changes and I'm on a boulevard like in oldie New York or something…whose Bugsy?_

_"It's name…this is so damn annoying, dreams are supposed to be nice or sexy or at the very least scary…this is just weird…why the hell did I sit through Neon Genesis Evangelion if I get dreams like this…"_

_"Speak the cool name word." Some one on the other side of the boulevard, oh great, hopefully a mobster with a gun so I can wake up now._

_"Cool name word, is this a blunt party, are we in Jersey lunchbox?"_

_"Not a cool word then, Keigo-Kun?" said the other person. That face, who is it? I've seen that face…I can feel the smirk and **that smirk **again. Suddenly I rip off my apparently crap old clothes to show a really kick ass black suit underneath._

_"You want a word, here's a damn statement for the century!" theirs a watch on my left arm, under the sleeve, I bring it up like a walkie talkie and…_

_"Here it is! I-"the whole set rumbles up man, fog everywhere, I said something bitchin, something kick ass…I know I did, I felt it. _

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"Huwhuah?" oh crap. I was asleep; damn what the hell dreams was that? What the hell woke me from my beautiful slumber?

"Come on dude, lunch time." Ichigo said taking off slowly, causally, but pretty surely after Rukia.

"Lunch…time?" Lannom is now trying to wrestle the laser disc out of the player. The class is emptying for food time, and I realize I fell asleep over an old manga: two copies, one with the two retrievers and the other with the cool negotiator in black.

To Be Continued

Wow, that one was a trip to write. Sorry for not updating in awhile, been sick along with finals…always fun. Now on to the reviews.

Megumi Watanabe: Thank you for your very kind review. It's feedback like yours that really motivates me and tells me that whatever the heck I'm doing is by some weird occurrence going right. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Gooberfic: Thanks for reviewing, heh; I guess you can tell by my name that I try for some originality. But seriously I just tried this because I thought Keigo is an interesting guy and hey that's the wonder of fanfiction I guess, anyway, I hope to hear from you again and hoped you enjoyed reading this chapter.

GreekGeek81: Yeah I can see what you mean, poor Keigo isn't treated with much regard in many of the other Bleach fics. You can look to me as the low fat substitute to those stories, or more to the point! Thank you for the feedback and I hope you like this chapter.

Okay…now I'm just wiped…oh boy time for work. Guess I'll see you all when I see you.


	5. Summarizing Nothing Part One

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the shirt on my back, which happens to be a loan.

Authors Notes: Nothing really at all to say, except maybe…anyone else notice the increase in Bleach fics lately? Anyway, off we go.

History and Her

Chapter Five: Summarizing Nothing (Part One)

_J-Pop annoys the hell out of me, I have very specific music tastes…except in the shower, Puffy Ami Yumi and Two Mix all the way._

"The king of Naruki has returned…hello?" huh, my parents aren't home? Oh well, must be some kind of business thing or something. I'm in high school; I'm permitted not to care by General Hormone and Rear Admiral Puberty. I see a note, a note with love no doubt, giving the details of…lets see, skim down, skim down, something about a bank transaction, meeting, an appointment…ah, frozen food thawing in the sink. You might be thinking that I'm kind of absent minded to look over the list without a real thought, but there is a reason: my parents are busy people, and I'd rather not slow them down.

Before dinner of delectable delights can be commenced, I think I should shower and at least try to scare my homework into thinking I'll do it. Up some stairs, down a hall, through a door and a collapse into a crappy comfortable chair…you have entered the lair of Keigo Asano-Sama.

"What a day…what a day…" I can hear myself mumble. Tired does really no justice in describing how I'm feeling at this moment. School was homicide (or is that suicide?) forgetting that psychotic dream I had, I didn't just have one talk with a girl to worry about…oh no…the assorted Lords of assorted religions wouldn't allow that…I had to have three talks…better sit back this'll be a long one…oh, before I start, might as well pop in some Beatles…"Nowhere Man" suits me okay…heh…"Nowhere Man, A Theme of Keigo Asano".

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"Damn it, where the hell's Ichigo…probably chasing Rukias skirt again."

"Yeah definitely…wanna get lit?" I look behind me back into Lannoms class room and find none other than The Bearded one himself.

"Uh, no thanks, I have to go…to go…well, you're stoned now, right?" what the hell? Corner him with his own logic.

"And how." He replies with a knowing smile, except he was now facing a wall, so close that his nose was planted as firmly as possible on it. Picking up my stuff I get the hell outta Dodge as fast I can from that class. I end up, naturally, back in the hallways. Deserted now, except for the few guys and girls who prefer indoors to outdoors, which I think is weird, I mean come on. We're allowed a certain amount of time **outside**, why not use it? Mine and theirs I guess. Shit, where's Tatsuki? Thought she wanted to talk…oh wait, I saw her with Orihime…laughing it up with her…so forget it, my rack isn't quite as big as hers so…

"Shit, locker or lunch?" hey, who gives a crap if those indoors people hear me, not like they listen to me in any other capacity, so they can politely and heroically screw off. You might be wondering what the issue is, really nothing, except my locker is about a bloc's distance from where I usually eat with my friends. I can either relieve some of my spinal compressing or eat my lunch…it's one or the other dear friends. At least, that was the idea, until…

"Asano-San." Damn, only one guy actually addresses me with that kind of formality.

"Hey…Ishida…uh…san." Man, this guy makes me nervous. More than actual bullies, this guy just has the face of a cold blooded killer. Of course, Ishida isn't really some kind of maniac, has to be just my imagination.

"I was wondering if…if maybe…this is kind of hard to ask but…" I nearly felt my neck break from the near double, no, triple take it did. Uryuu Ishida actually looks…unsure…and nervous? Bear in mind that's nervous and unsure for him which constitutes a slight twitch in his eyes.

"…you need something Ishida uh San?" coughing a bit, Ishida looks at me directly. Man those eyes look like damn fires of the pits of hell…I need to lay off Spawn for a bit.

"I need your…your advice Asano-San." My heart stopped, I mean it frikkin stopped. The stock markets have crashed, Sega is the number one console and Nintendo actually has a foreseeable online gaming future…nothing makes sense!

"You need **my**…what?"

"Your advice Asano-San, I need your help regarding something…annoying." Is this for real, why the hell would the smartest guy in school, scratch that, the nation be asking me for anything other than help out to his car for his groceries?

"What do you need?" hell, no way I sound that calm. Motioning with his head, I follow the genius of geniuses (geniusi?) We're eventually at the top of one of the schools buildings, ringed by a barbed gate (ah, what they do to keep us animals in!). Naturally, being **up** means being able to look **down **on people, and chic- girls. I've caught Mizuiro up here a few times. Hell I used to do it to even used to help Mizuiro drag Ichigo up here but then I kind of...grew out of it for lack of a more attractive term.

"You spy on girls, Ishida-San?" pain in the ass honorifics, why did I even bother joking with this guy, I already know that he'll-

"Don't be ridiculous Asano-San, look out over there please." Knew it, the guys got Ichigos' sense of humor but at least Strawberry throws a bone every now and then! Deciding and knowing that I have now no time to go either to my locker or to lunch with my buds, I realize my whole lunch is a wash. Why not humor the humorless huh?

"…so, what's the problem, Ishida...damn…san?" I mumble the curse, keep in mind my own parents don't use honorifics. The guy in question steps up next to me (was that a chill is this guy made of ice?)

"If it bothers you that much, you can drop the 'san'. Anyway, that's the problem, over there." He says, pointing out towards…a girl? Ishida likes girls?  
"Orihime? What's wrong with her, you have a crush on her or something?" Ishida makes a light cough again.

"No, but she keeps bothering me." I wait for something more…but…he doesn't say anything else.

"Bothering…you? Like how?"

"She keeps…talking to me, inviting me to be with…well, your group pretty much." I should be offended and I kind of am but forget it, I'm too hungry to be that pissed.

"I take it that's a problem?"

"…I mean no offense, it's just…I value my privacy and I would like her…like her…to stop. I don't need any…any more friends." Huh, this guy really doesn't want our company…like he's scared or something. Man I wish I was smarter…just so I could help this guy or just tell him something to cheer the hell up or something helpful. Nothings really said for a little bit, I can feel a breeze. Turning my head I can see the sun just beginning to recede.

"Asano Sa…Asano, can you help me?" about three blinks later and I realize I'd just been staring out at the horizon for who knows how long.

"You can just call me Keigo, man. It's no problem. What do you need me for?" Ishida nods once and looks out.

"I've heard or rather over heard that you are an expert on…repelling girls." I can feel my ego, my manhood, my dignity, my pride etc. etc. etc….all fall down.

"R-r-really? Who told you that I wonder?" as if I had to take a frickin guess. Ichigo and Chad can kick my ass if they want to but Mizuiro's going to be properly introduced to my foot in his ass.

"That's not important. What's important is that you get Orihime away from me." This guy serious? Most guys (up until a little while ago, me included) would run towards Orihime not from. Hell, I'm still not sure whether I could resist Orihime should the situation come up. The wind kicks up again.

"Alright man, no problem I'll work the apparent Asano anti-cavorka." I say, waving him off and walking off toward the remains of a civilized lunch. Then, the guys in front of me, with his hand extended.

"…Ishida?"

"Thank you…Asa…Keigo. You're a fan of American pop culture, right? I understand Westerners shake hands to seal a pact."

"A…pact?" I look at his face, then his hand. "Alright Ishida, it's a pact." I shake his hand and suddenly fear him breaking it off for some reason. Cool cross bracelet though. From there the two of us separate, me going to the door, him being…stoic.

"Keigo?" almost to the door, damn it all to the early to mid Nineties!

"Yeah?" he shifts his glasses (is that guy flipping me off?) and looks at me again, see something you like smart guy?

"Thank you. I will repay you for this." I nod and smile. And then I'm walking down the stairs again. Thinking about it; his promise to repay me sounded more like a threat.

0000000000

And just like that, The Beatles finish out "Rubber Soul". Have I been flashbacking that long? Oh great, the memories of what I actually should be doing is coming back…I have to eat dinner, shower and do my homework. So I'll get back to you after I eat and shower…you know the important stuff.

0000000000

"Me…needs…the foods…badly!" I recall muttering somehow, rushing through the halls towards my lunch place. Through the rush of antisocial kids, those who hate the outside, the club goers, the library people and all the other lovable clichés that Fox and The WB shoved down the old wind pipe, I get to my watch…oh super good, nine minutes left for lunch.

Then, the unmistakable sound of sneakers screeching to a halt on tiled floor, along with a pair of hands smacking a certain forehead.

_"My History book, I left it in the Beardos' class!" _Looking around and around for some kind of quick and all encompassing solution…it's not there. Check the watch, down to seven and a half minutes. Going back, I have to go back to Kinue's class even though I know he's probably too lit to even answer his door.

Suddenly I feel something. Like in all those cheesy anime, I feel a presence, no, not a fighting presence for me to unsheathe my big sword against, no, it's the presence of a certain girl. A girl, who kind of plays for another team so to speak, I really have no idea how else to put it without offending someone out there, even though I know I already have.

"Hey Chizuru, what's going on?" I turn, and luckily I don't make an ass of myself because it is actually her there. She looks a little surprised but then smiles all the same.

"Hey Keigo, got a minute?" she asks, pouring on enough sugar that I can feel my teeth crack…the bad sugar not that good stuff in Cherry Pepsi, that stuff rocks.

"Apparently, yeah, what's up?" slight exaggeration, my watch says I have about five and a quarter or something minutes left. (I hate analog, my parents say digitals are for kids though.)

"I was wondering…" she says, stretching every verb, every consonant, and every other part of speech I know about to the nth degree.

"Yeah?" what the hell is she going to ask me? At the rate I'm going today I won't be surprised if she asks me to off Tatsuki just so she can get to Orihime "Hime" as she calls her (That fact courtesy of Mizuiro and the fact that Chizuru likes to broadcast herself.).

"You want to go out some time?" Sega has just released a console that beat the crap out of Sony, Nintendo has kicked Microsoft off its online gaming throne, Batman has crossed over to Marvel for good and I just found out a man can have two heart attacks in one day.

To Be Continued

Authors Notes: Took awhile, huh? Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and don't worry, there is much more to this situation then you think! Now on to the reviews:

Megumi Watanabe: Thank you for the review and your support, I really appreciate someone reading, let alone liking my jumble of words. I look forward to your thoughts on this chapter, as well as your opinions, thank you again.

GreekGeek81: Heh, you liked the Big O thing huh? I'm a die hard fan and was climbing the walls trying to get it to mesh with this story. You think Keigos' a fan? Anyway, glad you enjoyed the chapter and hope this one lives up. By the way, if you like references, I'll try (and been trying) to get in as many as possible.

StormBlazer: Hey thank you for the review and the kind words. I see where you're coming from though on Keigos character and I wonder if I'm anyway near to what Kubo imagined? Nah, oh well. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to any future feedback from you.

Well, now, boys and girls, it's been fun but its now time to collapse. See you all when I see you.


	6. Summarizing Nothing Part Two

Disclaimer: See any previous chapter…except this one…unless you like loops.

Authors Notes: I know you're probably expecting me to say (write or type, whichever) that school has kept me busy. It has but more than that, actually in conjunction with that and me getting sick during my spring break along with more than the usual hours at work, my computer had something like eighty eight viruses on it at one time. We were all pretty sure the computer would blow up with all the looping it did, but thanks to a friend I'm here again. One last thing before I get to the meat, I am once again flabbergasted by the positive reviews this little story has been getting…you guys out there truly rock, thank you very much.

History and Her

Chapter Six: Summarizing Nothing (Part Two)

_They say that those who refuse to acknowledge history are doomed to repeat it or something like that. For my case I really hope that's not true, I love history and I love girls…wonder which I'll major in during college?_

"I hate math." This is probably one of the truest things I've ever said, I mean with no lies, exaggerations or any of that other stuff that makes comics so great. Math to me is a joke, a cold and dusty evil little joke in the form of a book containing not seven sins…rather an infinite number of them, all bearing down on me like a bunch of Huns on the Great Wall. History is my savior; it was only a few months ago, sometime in the summer I think that I actually read this book my brother recommended to me. I was blown away; it was like a great story only it **actually** happened. It was like he said it-

"11:30, crap, already?" shit, where the hell did the night go? Math and all that other crap that every other guy seems to at least have a vague grasp on, has screwed me again, damn it! You'd think that in a group with academics like Ichigo, Chad, and Orihime, at least some of it would rub off on me? Whatever, snack time.

Down the stairs and into the kitchen Keigo Asano will go, fetching snacks he will. Sorry about that, lack of sleep…all that. Let's see, cookies, expired milk, meat of some kind. Ah, some left over beef bowl, somehow I saw it coming. Back into my lair with the crappy comfortable chair, popping a CD, Keigo will be eating…heh, not bad huh?

Now, you might be wondering, like I still am just to the why's and how's to why and how I wound up in a helpful promise to the pale genius who is most likely evil and in an apparent date with my most lesbian of classmates . Sit back, because after all that I still my talk with one other girl (man, Mizuiro wishes this many girls talked to him, I would too, if the situation wasn't like it was). Ah hell, I still don't believe what happened next.

0000000000

"Keigo, are you alright?" Chizuru asked, waving her hand in front of my dazed face. It isn't long before my eyes are following the motions of her hand until I realize just how stupid I must look.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine…just…what was it you said?" yeah, smooth guy. Chizuru looks slightly put off, but then smiles again.

"I said 'Do you want to go out some time Keigo' and you just sort of started staring at the locker behind me muttering something about Sega." Yeah, Sega all the way, wonder if Chizuru is a Sonic or Mario fan. Damn it man, focus!

"You want…you, Chizuru Honsho…want to go out…with me?" I ask, this all seems like some weird ass dream, some weird ass little dream that will go away and that's it poof, it's gone. Strange that a girl can ask a guy out and forget about it, but the guy remembers it always.

"Oh you know my full name, that's soooo sweet." She smiles again with eyes that belong in a bed room or is that **the** bed room? Yeah so I know about "bedroom eyes" I'm a human teenage male and have internet access…entrapment I swear, I'm not the pervert you think I am. If the eyes weren't enough, she now bunches up against me. Oh it's so right…she's smell so nice…no…**No...**This isn't, she's not the girl, she's…

"Chizuru, what the hell's up with you?" that question, I know I asked it but, but it feels like someone else spoke through me. Not like ghosts or anything like that exist but I felt "out of body" for a moment there. Apparently she was as caught off guard as me. Heh, maybe for a second I had a bad ass glare. I think at that second we both realized that the assorted league of evil of the hall was watching us, so being the easily embarrassed tykes we were (I'm speaking for me; I used to think nothing embarrassed Chizuru.) we took off towards some of the out door stairs, going up of course, the only way. She guided me by hand the whole way, it felt nice, to have a girl holding my hand, but I knew, I had to know she had no interest in me. A lesbian into Keigo, my lady luck with the ladies wouldn't permit that, her being straight or not.

We just sort of stood there for awhile on the stairs that face outwards towards the city. The sun was beginning to go down and the blue of the sky was kind of "heavier" and darker for the lack of more poetic terms. I could feel a breeze, nice and cool, refreshing and relaxing. A little nonsensical thing that was just there and just right. I can feel my hair whipping slightly on my face and around my head; guess a haircut is in order. Then I look up the one or two stairs to where Chizuru is standing, and keep in mind I've never really liked in her **that** way, and I can say with only a little doubt that she is looking pretty…nice in the breeze. Her clothes being rumpled a bit, her skirt going up and down a bit, her hair swaying. Call me a pervert, but I accepted a while ago that most women would have some kind of hold on me. But I've been told that it's taking that hold, that good hold and finding it with someone special who you have a hold on, that's love. Heh, that guy was a dope anyway.

"Keigo?" she finally asks and I feel like an audience member at the treaty signing of Versailles…something big and something bad is coming. Being the master diplomat I am regarding all things (especially girls, come on, this is me here) I respond in a way that is not typical of a teenage guy.

"Y-yeah?" damn guy, American comics, Japanese comics; will even European comics take you? The only Euro-Comic I know about being XVII, so Chizuru responds.

"Keigo, would you help…would you help me?" it's kind of weird that I felt relieved. Then again it kind of isn't, I mean this was the second request I've been given. Did I overnight become a Quaker or something? Is the word "Samaritan", yeah I know what that means, on my back?

"You want my help?" I can feel the sigh coming out of me and my body sitting itself down on the stairs. I look a little to the left, she to her right. She doesn't know how could she? How could she know how it feels to suddenly become a request for differing a girl's interest and this being Chizuru that had to be it. "You want me to make a girl not like you or something, right? Because you heard…?" I didn't finish, I didn't really feel like it. No, what I really felt like doing was just walking home, listening to my music. I wanted to be alone, away from my spectacular friends with their greatness and just be average old me. Is that weird? I'd be alone so what the hell, right?

"T-that's kind of right Keigo." I could barely make that one out. She whispered, why would Chizuru of all people whisper? Not really looking at her right now, I feel her right next to me, sitting. We're going to be late to class.

I look to Chizuru, she's wrapped her arms around her legs and the tears they are a comin. Man, if I was the jock with big side burns and she was the beautiful but misunderstood art chick this could've been a really bad but funny movie, but it wasn't.

"It's this girl…she won't leave me alone." This got me.

"Not to sound ignorant Chizuru but…isn't that good? For you I mean?" does she seriously expect me to see through that little riddle? She looks over at me and smiles a little bit.

"It would be, normally I guess. And it was for a bit…but I…I wanted to leave her I told her I wasn't sure about…sure about…" Ah, I've read this story enough times on Buddha knows number of story sites.

"Sure about you and your…likes?" this is a freakin mine field and although I'm Superman, the grounds made out of lead. (Normally I'm a Marvel guy that just felt good for now.) She was most definitely caught off guard by that one, heck I was too, who knew I had lapses of maturity?

"Yeah, that's it…how did-?" I wanted to say "hormones and too much shojo manga" but I figured that would just dig my grave a little faster.

"A guess." I muttered. She kind of goes off on her own without me from there, I wonder what she would think about just how much I actually know from all those (not **that** many) girl, no scratch that, love comics.

"You all think that I'm the gung ho man hating lez, right?" I didn't say anything but I think we both heard a hammer hit a nail flat on the center just then. "Well the truth is…I'm not really sure about…that. I like…well…you know…both…you know?" I crack a little smile, the truth is I don't know, but I couldn't tell her that. Be good, help others, learn from history.

"Yeah I get you, you're confused." She nods, sniffs, the tears are just about ready to, and there they go.

"When I…I met this girl from another school, she said she…she said she understood! Then I said I wanted to back off a bit, think a little but she…but she…" she's starting to shake, I close my eyes a second. I know what to do. I guess.

"She wanted you just for her." It was a gamble, but with Chizuru I'm at zero anyway so it's a low risk. I think the fact that I knew in a weird way placated her a bit. Placated, another link to WWII. I touch my forehead, what the hell am I doing?

"Yes exactly, Keigo, you really know relationships!" Chizuru says with awe. I nearly snort. But hey, I'll let her believe that, even though the relationship Zen master next to her has never been on a date. She went on. "She threatened to tell everyone about me…about us…" wait, a loophole, a plot hole?

"I can't really see that being an issue with you…" I say. Chizuru was (what I saw of her anyway) an exhibitionist…right word? Anyway, yeah the girl had no problem showing off her "different preferences".

"It isn't for me…just, my mom and dad don't know…about…" the breeze came back and as teens at that point we understood that the parents didn't.

"Oh." Once again, not much the great Keigo Asano-Sama can do. No, wait, hell no that's not true.

"Keigo, can you…date me, just for a little while I mean until...until this girl-" If I was any other guy in any other situation at any other school with any other badasses, geniuses and jerks, then maybe I would have reacted differently but with things like they were and Keigo Asano being the shonen hero he is… "It'll only be for a little while and I know I'm asking a lot but I-" Chizuru went on for a bit on how little we knew each other yet she was asking for a favor like this, she went on about and on about until my head felt very heavy.

"Chizuru, wait, just stop a sec yeah?" in a weird little defiance of the universe something I ask to happen happens and Chizuru stops talking…for a second. "What exactly do you want from me…no stories, no anything I just want to know-"

"I want you to date me, pretend, you know? To make this girl leave me alone, if she sees me with a guy she might just cool off me, call me fickle or something." I nod 'okay' 'okay' on the outside, but on the nation of Keigos interior it's chaos. Like so many of the deep meaning giant robot shows I watch and re-watch at three in the morning thanks to the magic of VHS and Beta I can feel shit breaking and crashing, stuffing and falling in my head, and wussy little giant robot pilots are crying and weeping, and me, what the hell do I do?

"Alright Chizuru, you need me, you get me as long you need free of charge. I'll wave the introductory fee as my gift to you." Heh, even I'll laugh at that one and she sort of did to, between some sobs I think.

"K-Keigo, I just need you to…to…" I wish I could pull a dashing anime guy thing and predict what the girls about to say but no such luck; I have to wait like hopefully anyone else for the girl to say what she has to say. "Can we just, keep it between us? No one in the school, right?" this girl is asking a hell of a lot from old me, my first faux date with a girl and not only is it fake but I have to keep it a secret, Al Bundy would say I'm getting prepped for marriage.

"Right, whatever Chizuru, just call me when you need me." Fuck you Chizuru, and fuck this whole thing. Why did I agree to that? And why am I so angry? This is about what's expected right? Chizuru looks like she's about to overflow.

"Keigo…thank you, thank you so much!" before I can even say whatever clever reference to whatever interesting comic book or video game I have the girl hugs me. It's alright I guess. I just don't hope American prime time is right and being used by women is all I have to look forward to. She pulls away and I remember that I should probably act embarrassed or something. Heck, I'm blushing and my pants feel a little tighter but it all feels kind of fake, you know? I get up and start to leave, Chizuru looks happy but what the heck is going on with me? A girl, lesbian no less wants to be with me, fake date and all that. No strings and no real commitment stuff, I'm living the guys dream. Why do I feel like such a heel or trash or something else close to nothing?

"Yo Chizuru?"

"Hm, yeah?"

"One question, why me? Why not Chad or Ichigo or Mizuiro or even Ishida, why me?"

"I don't know really, I couldn't find them. Really though, they don't strike me as the kinds of guys to help me."

"Hm? Why not?"

"They just kind of don't…you're different from those others, Keigo." I laugh.

"Heh, good or bad?" she laughs.

"Definitely good Keigo, I don't know why but, you've changed since…well awhile ago." I've changed huh?

I walk off feeling kind of good kind of bad, fifty fifty creamer for my coffee please. Hey, it ain't much but Keigo Asano has a date.

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Two down, one to go. Hope you didn't forget that I had three 'interesting conversations' that day. One to a mad genius, one to a desperate girl and one to…wait a sec, I need some music or else I'll fall asleep in my crappy comfortable chair (some freakish doctors out there say . Let's see…ah, Yello…Yellow Generation…maybe later…Ferris Bueller soundtrack…a little Sinatra…there we go a burn disc of my own stuff. It's not "my" music like I made it, cool if I could be that talented, but no it's just a bunch of junk from the internet I pulled off while other kids were out doing…I just realized I seriously need a hobby…or a girlfriend…or a girlfriend as a hobby. I see my history book, nah, too dumb and too distracted by whatever the hell some anime studio called Bones is doing right now to take anything else seriously.

"I wonder…" I mutter like some dope on camera. Damn is it that late already? Alright, one more go.

0000000000

Man being late, oh wait sorry, 'tardy' is bad. But being 'tardy' to a class you don't like after lunch is even worse when you have a teacher that it really seems has it out for you or right now: me. Mr. Kagine doesn't like me, **me**, the most likable guy in Japan! Okay, if you're laughing please stop and if you're not, hey thanks. Back to today's storyline: Kagine (that friggin ape should be grateful he's called by his last name if at all) eyed me like a rival fighter or something in one of those cheesy kung fu movies from the seventies. He used me like one; I was the practice dummy for tackling practices as part of his 'Appreciation for Sports around the World' which happened to start in the middle of that week and with tackle football from America.

School and this day that felt like it would never end was over. I could now walk home to Naruki and listen to my ripped tunes which were probably infringing on some law somewhere at some point in time. Hey man, rock on. My headphones were in, my backpack was set to crush what was left of my back and I was about to give some listen time to Le Arc en Ciel but, not today.

"Keigo?" I was at the front of the school, on the stairs leading out into the streets under the orange sky. Damn it, another breeze.

"Hey…uh…what's up Tatsuki?" Summer will be nice. She walks out from the school door, there's Orihime right beside her. She waves her off, that's funny they're usually always together. Orihime walks by she smile and says "Keigo-Kun", nice smile, takes everything I have to focus on just her smile, but I do.

"So what's going on Asano?" Tatsuki brings me back, playfully punching my arm. Hell, how does she do it? Her walk, her punch; she treads the line of, I don't know, girl and fighter so…like I said I don't know. Wait, it's polite to respond when someone asks a question right?

"Nothing, nothing's up Tatsuki. Just gracing the world with the infinite love and perfection that is Ore-sama." Tatuksi smirks and walks a little past. I follow, gotta keep those eyes above skirt level for the love of the assorted Lords.

"So what happened? To you I mean. You get your ass kicked or did you kick ass?" I'm right next to her, just walking. I could tell her the truth, or not. What difference does it make for the love of comics?

"Oh you know, no big deal just…nothing, you know?" please don't see through the fog of vagueness I've lay out for you Tatsuki…

"Keigo, what?" she asks, looking at me genuinely confused I think. I feel something on the back of my head, I'm scratching. Do I always do that when I'm nervous? Wait, I'm not nervous, heck no I'm not. Well Tatsuki, I've heard women like honesty, so here goes something.

"Oshima pushed me, I pushed back." Tatsuki stops.

"Oshima? That asshole, what happened?"

"He was doing what he does with a small kid, I told him to stop. He did and started on me, then I…I-"not coming out right slick?

"You kicked his ass? That rocks Keigo!" she said grabbing my arm.

"Y-yeah, I guess it kind of does. It's no big deal though!" women don't like arrogance, but like confidence…damn it **this** is entrapment!

"It is man; most everyone I know hates that jerk. He always makes fun of the karate team, especially the girl's one. If I could count how many times I've bashed his face for feeling up one of the fighters…" she looks kind of frustrated.

"It still wouldn't add up to the number of times you've belted Chizuru right?" we both stop. Another breeze and…I think my CD player is on and…look a new manga from Watsuki on sale…and don't look right at Tatsuki, death awaits man, and it waits.

She snorts (girls snort?) and starts to laugh, hard. I don't know how to react, all the pointless junk piling up in my head, all the stuff that made me wish I was like Ichigo or Chad or-forget it, it was kind of funny. So now we're both laughing and still laughing a bit as we find some stairs leading up to a shrine to sit down. A little vendor food (me likes the churros) later and here we are.

"Thanks Keigo." Man, it feels too good to hear her say that even if I don't get why.

"For what?" I shift my bag on the stair, grateful that my history book can't kill my spine while it's off.

"For just…making me laugh I guess. It's been kind of a weird day and I just needed that." Weird day huh?

"Weird day huh?" I say.

"Yeah, Orihime…sorry I was worried that Mizuiro might be listening for some reason…Orihime's been a little depressed lately and it's kind of been affecting me." Orihime can get depressed?  
"What's wrong with her? Ichigo reject her or something?"

"That was my first question, she said no. Now, you won't tell anyone about-"come on Tatsuki, I'm not Mizuiro.

"You know I'm not like that." She smiles a bit and runs a hand through her shorter than long yet blacker than black her.

"Yeah I trust you Keigo. Orihime is going after Ishida." The first part of that little statement made me feel a jump but the second ranked too.

"…after Ishida? Like to kill him?" Tatsuki smirked and lightly bopped me on the head.

"No you delusional doofus, Orihime likes Ishida. **Like** likes or however that little kiddy slang goes." My brain stopped, or it would have stopped if it wasn't still restarting up from the last two crashes.

"Heh, she's in for a chase than." Tatsuki looks at me.

"What do you mean?" huh, decision time, do I tell Tatsuki about the efforts Ishida is going to, to stay away?

"Well Ishida is kind of a hard guy to know. I talked to him-before today I mean." Tatsuki nods in understanding, least I hope she believes it.

"The guys a genius but so cold, kind of like Ichigo if you think about it, heard he's chasing Rukia." Not that either of us is prone to gossip but we just both happen to know Mega Mouth Mizuiro.

"Heh, luckily you have super nice super dumb Keigo Asano-Sama to be with." 'Be with'? Different word choice man! She looks a little taken aback by this, and then a little pensive (it is pensive, right?)

"Come on Keigo, don't say shit about yourself like that, yeah?" where she going with this.

"Just joking around Tatsuki, sides I know I'm the most brilliant of all geniuses." Nice. Tatsuki nods a little with what could be a (damn my eyes to the pits of Hell.) smile.

"You think that…think that some guys…Keigo are people afraid of me?" I just barely heard the last part, just barely and do I wish just barely was not at all.

"W-what? Afraid of you?" she seems a little pushed by the question I am so out of my element.

"Yes, afraid of me." How in the whole friggin Asian Pacific do I answer that? I say yes and go for DC, she gets pissed thinks I'm saying something I'm not, kills me. Or I could say no and go for Marvel, she gets pissed I'm saying something I'm not, kills me.

"T-tatsuki they're just…I mean we're just…uh…what?" nice one, real nice smart guy! Perfect ten score (except the East German judge 6.2? Thanks.) She looks over, she looks sad, man I feel like such a flippin child, a real man can talk to a girl, make her feel I don't know… good or something?

"It's nothing…me just being stupid. We can't all be geniuses like Orihime or Ichigo, right?" she's trying to play it off, hey that's my technique. I should have answered, done something, maybe…

"What happened to make you think like that…some ass at school or something…something I said, huh?" funny how in my head it comes back to me. I can almost hear her eyebrow quirk up.

"Your fault? Calm down Asano-Sama, the **entire** world doesn't revolve around you ya know." Uh…she's playing with me now! Why do women have this kind of power over me! Oh Ewan McGregor, what did I do in a past life to deserve this?  
"Right I know…it's just kind of stupid Tatsuki, you never let crap bother you. You usually just hammer Chizuru and that be that." Good, simple logic from past issues of our exciting little lives, no way she can counter that.

"So you think I'm a bully?" Is this chess? Am I playing with all pawns?

"N-no! Of course not! I just figure you're too tough for normal teenage pansy shit, stuff a wimp like me would be bogged down by." She looks kind of relaxed by that…she's laying a trap I know it.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You don't have to beat yourself up verbally or whatever to make me or I guess anyone else feel better." She saw through me, great yet another genius to make me look like a horses-

"You're giving me too much-"

"You scared Keigo?" she asks with a smile again, she joking or ready to belt me? Take a stand.

"No, why the hell would I be? I mean I would if I was still obsessed with girls like Mizuiro or something but, no I'm not afraid." Keep going, keep going. "There might be some guys or gals afraid of you Tatsuki, but I really think it's the little douches and douchettes who deserve to be afraid of you. Orihime isn't afraid of you, or Chad, Ichigo scared of Rukia I think but not you, Mizuiro a bit but only when checking out girls and-"ouch, something hit me. Oh crap it was her!

"Cut it out I get it I get it." She smirks again, nibbling her churro between laughs. Goodbye sleep tonight. "You're not into girls Keigo? Who do you like? Ichigo, Ishida, or maybe Mizuiro? Or do you like big strong men like Chad, he does have a nice body-"hold it…wait, is she? Oh no.

"Whoa whoa…you think I'm? That I like…that I don't like? Not that there's anything wrong with that…" I trail off when I see she's laughing again…did someone put a sign on my back or something? Out of desperation, what the hell? Live and laugh a little.

"Relax I know your not…or if you are-"nip this bud

"I'm not Tatsuki, trust me there ain't much else I'm sure of but **that** is something I'm sure of." She nods; probably thankful she doesn't have to repeat the Seinfeld reference.

"So are you?" crap crap crap crap crap! Why did I ask her that? Please let her not hear the idiot! Please let her not hear the idiot!

"…am I what? Oh you mean that. Well I wasn't going to tell anyone but Orihime is sooooo pretty when her hot young nubile body is pressed up against mine and…are you serious?" I laugh; the girl can play a mean Chizuru that's for sure. "People think because me and Orihime hang around each other so much we're clawing each others clothes off at night…that's not the case." I feel a chill, what's with the weather lately?

"Oh?" my history book shifts in my bag, making it fall a bit off the stair.

"What's that?" she asks…I left my bag open like the Hawking level genius I am.

"It's a…uh…uh...girlie mag?" she grabs the book, **the** book from my pack before I can. Damn her and her Bruce Lee like reflexes!

"This is…a history book…an advanced one!" no no, please no…Buddha or any of the other Lords of the universe take my soul. Save me and I shall construct several temples in your honor. I'm not a nerd, please don't-

"Keigo you little jerk! Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" she sounds…proud?

"I was…it was a surprise?" reach man, reach like a toddler for that brass ring like in that giant book about rings (Nine hours of my life stuck in a theater…totally worth it). Damn it, focus!

"You're damn right it's a surprise! This is a book that Orihime and Ichigo study…maybe not! You can read all of this?" is she impressed? With me? **Me?** Keigo Asano?

"Yeah, I guess I just like history…it's nothing it's-"

"It's not nothing! You can tutor me-"she stops herself in tune with my mind shutting down like a computer with WinME.

"T-tutor? Uh, you want your grade to go up right?" she shakes her apparently shocked face a bit and laughs like I do…she didn't just say that. We laugh and laugh…that's it. Quiet time now, churro eating time. "If you want…ahem…if you want I can help you…" don't do it man, don't do it. "I can tutor you…if…"

"Thanks…you can help Orihime, she's helping me in math and literature, takes a village to educate me I guess…" it's quiet and cold again. Damn that history book I love so much, why is she still holding it? "…is this…what's this on the cover Keigo?" truth? Eh, go for it.

"Blood, Oshima's blood." Her eyes widen.

"Wow…no wonder he was absent today. You'll be a hero to the karate team once this gets out." I scratch my head again (bad habit I know).

"Ya think?"

"Yeah, soon Keigo Asano will have all the girls on the karate team worshipping him." Thanks Tatsuki, yet another image to rob me of sleep.

"Cool cool." I mutter. If I was Mizuiro or me a few months ago I'd be jumping for joy…

"Oh here, sorry." She gives me the book. There's a little churro stain next to the blood now, the covers looking more kick ass by the day. We're quiet again, but it's a little less horrible now, kind of nice.

"Well I better get going…Ma and Pa Asano will wonder where their favorite King of Naruki has been." Understatement, my parents are going to make me commit ritualistic suicide for being so late, but it's not polite to tell a girl that, that much I can guess.

"That's cool, oh wait…" why is she… "Can you give this to Ichigo?" she looks a little embarrassed…with Strawberry?

"Sure…what's this on it?" some numbers…

"My phone number mister tutor, I'll need that first lesson soon." Damn her and the way she has a voice.

"Right right…" I need a dam or something for all the sweat. She says "Bye!" or something…I'm too busy trying to mentally digest just what the hell happened as I pound the pavement like Kojak with a lollipop.

0000000000

"Nice, very nice." I say holding up my now bloody and churro'ed history book. Yeah…looking better, much better.

To Be Continued

Authors Notes: Here's some history for you all: This was the longest chapter of any story I've written so far. It wasn't originally supposed to be this long but I just couldn't find an appropriate place to end it until…the end. Sorry again it's been awhile for the story but I'll try to get the updates up in a timely manner from here on in. And now for the reviews:

Gooberific: I'm very glad you're enjoying the story. Having fun while reading a story is great and I'm just glad through some voodoo I've managed that with you. I hope this chapter lived up and I hope to hear from you again!

StormBlazer: Yeah the plots a little heated huh? And I guess this chapter cranked a bit? So you want a Keigo/Tatsuki? Well…let's just say there are some surprises up ahead. Hope you enjoy it and enjoyed this!

Megumi Watanabe: Once again you've made my day, thank you. Keigos mind is a weird place huh; I'm glad you like the little bumps I put him through and hope you continue to stick with me. I hope this continuation was up to par!

Foxmagic: Thank you for taking the time to review my story and looking forward to more, that just made this gap all the harder, ne? As for the Ichigo/Rukia fics I've read a bunch and liked a good deal. I'll take a look at your stuff too (when I have the time, damn the twenty four hour day).

RedPBass: Hey there, thank you for the review and the commentary. For Keigos rambling mind, lets just all assume that I've had a rambling teenage mind long enough to write several theses on the subject. Hope you liked the new chapter.

ElysianKiss: Good to see you reading my story, I'm glad you enjoyed it and very glad you called it original. That's my goal, and it was made a little clearer after your Chad/Tatsuki fic. Hope you liked this little installment!

Bom-bom-chika-chika: Thanks for reviewing the story! And really thank you for liking it so much, I really hope this lives up to the last chapter and I hope you stick around for the long run.

I'm exhausted and after five thousand some odd words you understand. I'm done for now so I will see you all when I see you.


	7. No Idea

Disclaimer: Same as now, same it will always be.

Author's Notes: Same excuses as always I hate my job and I hate most everything else, but hell no one reads these things, hope you stick around. This chapter could be considered almost out of its own continuity, but it was something I wanted to write, so here it is.

History and Her

Chapter Seven: No Idea

_The future isn't for guys who think only of girls and history, or of the history of girls._

I keep going; here I am back in school. I think graduation is coming up, for me too I guess. Ah hell, I take a little sneak peek around and I see even Ichigo is a little hyped for it. Mizuiro, of course, is more hyped for grad night…he's probably had so many girls by now…wonder if I'm the only virgin in the group. I take a look at Orihime and Tatsuki, and I have to realize the only **male** virgin.

"Keigo." I feel something like a cinderblock touch my shoulder.

"Huh? Wha?" nice response doofus come see the evolving spectacle of failure known far and wide as Keigo Asano!

"You alright man, you seem kind of out of it." Chad said. Come to think of it that's more than he usually says to me…or pretty much anyone else. Well I guess me slacking in the pervert department has caused a bit of concern in the male crowd and more than likely some relief in the female crowd.

"…Yeah dude I'm good, just a little beat that's all." I already knew Chad didn't buy that, like Ichigo, or Orihime or every and or any other damn genius that seems to gravitate towards me. Whether he bought or not quickly turned out to be irrelevant as a girl…of course a girl…asked Chad to sign her yearbook. I take another look around, Ichigo is signing, Mizuiro has a backed up pile of books to sign, hell, and even Rukia has her fair share.

"Bullshit." I mutter before I can think to stop myself.

"What is?" Ishida, good ears psychopath.

"Huh, oh sorry, just thinking out loud, my old dumbass self?" I say. Ishida just leave me the hell alone I don't feel like being psychoanalyzed.

"Where is your yearbook?" I'll tell you where I want it to be you albino-

"At home, too much of a hassle to lug it with all my shit, you know?" maybe in all my lower genetic glory I could turn the tables. "Where's yours?"

"At home as well, the whole ritual of book signing with phone numbers and meaningless little messages like "never change" or "stay cool" is just not for me." Maybe if I had something vaguely witty to that, or just laughed it off, than maybe the rest of the day wouldn't have gone the way it had gone.

"Huh…wish I could say that with a straight face." I mutter the last part, he heard.

"I take it you received no signatures in your-" I get up.

"Nail on the head genius, ain't no fun being inferior genetic stock." Funny thing is I know the exact meaning behind that, but based on things like first impressions and people refusals to actually look a little into the actions of prime target and lovable main character Keigo Asano, no one else will think I will.

"Asano, I meant no-" I love being rude, it really rocks harder than Audioslave that's for damn sure.

"I know you didn't but I'm just a crazy idiot…later." Class bell won't ring for another thirty minutes or so, but it's the end of the year and the teachers usually pretty lax on letting kids go.

"Where do you think you're going?" not for me though, being a lesser human being, destined for whatever the hell else everyone turns down, with a love for history that just really means nothing.

"Well uh…I have to go…to the bathroom?" please teacher, buy what I am selling, buy what I am selling…

"Why do you need your book bag to go to the bathroom?" damn, got me there, I see Ishida about to get up…is he about to help me…I don't help from one of my superiors…

"Cause ol' Keigo is a skirt chasing pervert retard!" I yell out a little louder than I thought. So shocked was she I imagine that she didn't give chase for a good minute and a half. Bolting down the hallways, I found one of the blind spots of the school. An abandoned set of rooms along a panel of windows, leading to one of the roofs, teachers don't come here.

_"Man, what the hells up with me? I'm like that douche character on that American show about the plastic surgeons…"_ my thoughts on the one bad character of a certain show aside, I really do have an unusual amount of crap on my mind. Summer is coming up and everything else is coming down like gravity…wait that's not funny...okay whatever. My yearbook, the subject of shoujo type angst between Ishida and I (on my part anyway) is at home, propping up my bookshelf. My Mom suggested that I use my stack of American comics…naturally I rebelled like any small threatened country would.

Comics. Huh. Maybe that's why I'm feeling this way, left behind like a kid amongst growing men and women. Ichigo, Chad, Mizuiro, they've all grown out of them that's for damn sure…and I'm pretty sure Ishida never even liked the damn things. Yet here I am with stacks of them around my room, in my closet, gathering dust, or not do to constant re-reading.

"Wonder what Mizuiro and Strawberry did to get the way they are…damn, I'm starting to talk to myself!" I say out loud, bad sign. Then again I've heard from someone that talking out loud is fine enough, it's when you start answering, that's the problem. Opening the door I am now one level below the roof of the school and now my head can run nice and wild. Observing, gazing, whatever-ing into the smog filled skies of Tokyo, least I think it was Tokyo…I suddenly start flashing back, having images and emotions and feelings to go along with those images. Portraits of everything, shows I've watched, stories I've read, people I've met, conversations I've had, feelings that everyone and everything has gone to some greater and brighter future while I'm just the joking guy handing out popcorn and bad jokes with tears and shit.

"Whoopee fucking doo…graduation day at last." I take out my lunch…oddly enough I have a bag of popcorn in my bag, don't ask, lets just say it was the result of a bad movie and a bad night. Tossing chunks of the movie food over the roof, I begin to realize something.

"Frikkin hell I've actually become a whiny, complaining Kurt Cobain fan…I uh er mean a teenager." I snort and laugh a bit. The great Keigo Asano, feeling sorry and sad about himself? The same Keigo Asano who once bet Ichigo Kurosaki he'd have lost his virginity enough times to make it his college major? The same Keigo Asano who had talked and discussed with Mizuiro about the need and the absolute necessity of having as many girls phone numbers as a little black book (or ten) could hold? Is this Keigo Asano, who once flirted so shamelessly with one Tatsuki Arisawa that a punch to the face and kick to the groin weren't enough to stop me; rather Chad had drag me away?

"Do you mean the American band "Nirvana"? I happen to like most of their work, a sad thing about Kurt Cobain though." What the ninth level of hell staring Johnny Depp!

"Huh? Oh hey Ishida, what's up?" I really cannot begin to express my surprise…or my terror. The albino terror is probably reading my mind now so I best not think too loudly, or, geez I need a girlfriend.

"Hello Asano. I notice you like to come up here relatively often anyways." He stands next to me; I wonder if he even wonders just why people get so freaked out next to him.

"Heh, what? Are you spying on me or something?"

"Not at all I just…lack for a better term, I observe. And you seem to favor spots like these." I don't like where this is going, so I'll change the subject to something I claim to know best: chicks.

"Do you know about the…uh…make out habits of Tatsuki and Orihime?" hey, why not so subtly confess every boys (some girls I suspect too) fantasy at this particular high school? Ishida adjusts his glasses with his middle finger, and I swear I saw almost a hint of a blush, this guy reminds too much of Strawberry.

"While I'm sure most people in this school would love to know that, I do not, sad to say." Wait a tick…I heard that last part, did you hear that last part? Damn, if only I had supra-hearing like that Usui guy from Watsuki's…

"So what brings you to this particular hidden away part of the roof aside the joy of my company?" funny, despite the crap in my mind I can still muster enough words to sound like an idiotic pervert, you think it's even under my control anymore?

"Your behavior." Ishida said nonchalantly, yeah 'nonchalantly' I know I used that word write…er…right. Where the hell did I go wrong oh Buddha to get led into this situation, where Ishida is acting like my damn mother?

"My…behavior, are you taking a psychology class at the community college or something?" Ishida continued to stand, still looking out towards the city, most definitely looking at something that most people (that would be me) couldn't see. Heh, maybe Ishida's a superhero, would make sense. I could be the Jimmy to his Clark, the Jamie to his Coop, everyone in Greece to his Hercules.

"No Asano. I have just been observing…poor choice of words, my apologies, I have been watching you and your behavior…your tone as of late has been, somewhat different from your usual." Great, ladies and gentlemen behold the first and so far only stalker of Keigo Asano and of course it's a guy, damn my own mind.

"My usual? You mean as opposed to the extroverted perverted invalid that everyone seems to identify me as without even looking at me?" damn, where the hell did that come from, why the hell did I ever see 'The Breakfast Club'? Ishida looks surprised too, but not because he can read my mind (he probably needs more experience points to boost up his mana…yeah) but probably because he doesn't expect me able to string together too many words together at once.

"Well…no I was just going to say that you are usually a great deal more talkative, just lately you haven't been as much."

"And this concerns you…why?"

"…you're not very trusting of other people are you Asano?" this makes me stop. Not trusting? Me? Jeez, when did that happen?

"Not trusting? No, it's not that I'm not trusting or some shit like that it's just…uh…damn it man why the hell are you here?"

"Honestly?" Ishida asks me. Funny, when this year started I never in a million years thought that I would ever talk to Ishida, let alone converse with him. Then again when the year began I was assuring myself daily of the impending loss of my virginity. So, because of empty yearbooks, and a grade F pissed off mind I indulge this guy.

"Yeah, honestly." Hear that sound? That's me throwing a bone to someone who apparently needs it.

"I'm not very content, not very happy with myself…at this particular junction in my life." Hell, I got nothing to say to that, just assume my jaw has drilled towards the ninth level of hell and eyes have retracted into the speech center of my brain. Ishida looks at me, yet even with the angle it seems like for once in my eyes I'm not being looked down on; maybe it's just illusory again. Damn Paranoia agent, where are you Shonen Bat, have you already smacked me upside the head, or is this really happening?

"Uh…you gonna sit or…" Ishida must have taken that as an invitation, and he did, which was good because that's what it was.

For the longest time the two of us were just sitting, just staring and spacing out. I had no idea where to take the conversation, if that's what it was, from that point. I guess it was silly up until now to assume that a genius like Ishida was too smart to get sad?

"I gotta tell you Ishida, you not being 'content' as you put it, comes as a bit of a surprise." Ishida looks over at me, the barest hints of a smile playing on his lips, damn this guy suddenly reminds me of that scowling redhead Strawberry.

"It surprises you that I feel less than confident with where I am in life considering-" he cuts himself off, his eyes bulged slightly. Was he hiding something? Suddenly he adjusts his glasses and that cross charm bracelet on his arm jangles a bit. Okay buddy, what is it? Green Goblin kidnapped your aunt? Your girlfriend? Sky-tram of kids and forcing you to choose? I'll let it drop, like it matters.

"A little yeah, this may sound stupid but I figure since it's just us here on 'solitary rooftop for Beatles reunions number five' I'll be honest. Ishida, I guess I just figure with guys like you, like Ichigo, like Chad, even Mizuiro and damn me for forgetting the girls, Tatsuki, Orihime…you guys are-"now I have to stop myself, did Ishida suddenly become my freaking shrink? I look at him, damn he's listening…well the school year's ending anyway so why not see where this goes? I guess for once I'll tell my instincts 'I'm politely telling you to go fornicate yourself'.

"Oh, sorry for stopping there, choked a bit from the air, I think we're near a pocky factory or something."

"You were saying, about all those people you know?"

"You're all on a plateau."

"Pardon?"  
"You're all just so damn, superior. You're all made to be so much better than everyone else. No one else seems to mind or care, I don't know why I do, or why the hell even the trivial insignificant stuff you all do bothers the fuck out of me. I guess, maybe, it all boils down to the fact that you guys have such horribly bright futures ahead of you, and well, all I have is the future of Keigo Asano."

"'Of Keigo Asano'? This is how you feel?" I'll tell Ishida, and let him mock the hell out of me, hell I used to make fun of and plagiarize people just like how I am right now as quitters and whiners or over actors…man I have changed that's as sure as Pepsi is better than Coke.

"Yeah I guess."

"And this is why you stormed out earlier." I can see the leaves beginning to fall; the sky is a beautiful summer blue. The kind of blue that gives almost every kid that feeling of being giant and the summer being this great and incredible world to play and experience. For some, I feel these leaves and that endless blue are just a challenge, a challenge that's really meant as a joke, a joke to amuse the big one at the highest and all his blessed children below. All the others have to sit back and watch their happiness and destructive manipulation from a distance with either a forced smile on their lips or a fist in their jaw. Naturally I could convey this all in a single statement.

"No, I actually left because I'd much rather spit off the roof than stay in that class."

"Really?"  
"Yeah."

A few more minutes passed, the sun was going down slightly casting an orange glow across the skyline. The warmth of the color orange spoke of great promise and love for all others, those who either grabbed something and received it or were just given or stole it as remorseless bastards. My head be spinning like that chick from Exorcist.

"So, what haunts a genius?"

"Is that a riddle or a joke?"  
"Neither man, I was just asking what was wrong with you; I mean this is the Breakfast Club, right?"

"I don't follow."

"American Eighties movie with Emilio Estevez, I think Judd Nelson…very 'heartwarming', never mind, you're a better guy for having not seen it." Ishida adjusted his glasses and did his 'smile' thing again. For anyone else it would be a glare, but if you observe the corners of his lips carefully you would find the slightest upturn.

"What makes a 'genius' as you put it feel haunted is…doubt I suppose." Doubt huh? Wonder what part of the world this guy feels like he's holding up, ah to be young and not Keigo! "I doubt who I am, sometimes even what I am, where I am going, what I am doing with my life."

"Heh, how…what's that word? Cliché."

"Cliché, really?" the two of us sat there, in silence, waiting for the school day to just, lack of a better term, go away.

"So…what are you going to do for the summer, Ishida?"

"Train." Sheesh, why did it get cold all of the sudden? "And you, Asano?"

"Work probably. My parents 'recommended' it for me to save up for a car and college shit. Not much of a summer for me, most of my free time has been monopolized like that damn board game." Wonder if I was Moneybags… "I guess I just assumed that the rest of you wouldn't get jobs."

"Hmm?" Ishida asked.

"Look, not to sound like I'm making you guys out to be snobs or anything but it just seems to me that you guys are so far and beyond normal stuff like 'work' and 'wasting time at a place you hate', like everything is just swung to you guys for good times and happy shit." Whoa, unloaded a little much there must have been that late nights trip to seven-eleven last night, low carb burrito my Aunt Fannie. Ishida looked at me, looked hard.

"I apologize Asano."

"You…" Buddha knows I must have misheard that, I had to, I mean come on, Lord of the Rings was three hours without an ending!

"I said I apologize!" Ishida said pretty forcefully, damn, I actually provoked a reaction from this guy.

"For…what?" touching his forehead the albino genius looked up, down, all around, then at me once again, I detect a pattern.

"I always just assumed, assumed that you never thought with depth like this. I can't speak for the others, considering I take steps not to speak with them at all, but aside from certain 'extracurricular activities' my life is relatively normal." If I only had a glass of milk or preferably cheery Pepsi, it'd be coming of my nose, ears, and eyes.

"…what the hell…?" Ishida looks over…looks over….damn it, how can one head turn that damn much!

"It's all there for you Asano."

"What is, what in pop culture crap are you talking about!" suddenly there is no school, only sky and assorted other background.

"The answer, the answers, you're future." Ishida jumps away, a black cape behind him, a horned cowl.

"Damn it Ishida, you're using fear again!" I look up, Kurosaki Strawberry? As Superman? Those two gone, I look behind.

"You're future beyond the falling leaves and desert sands." Orihime said.

"Or-orihime? What are you…sweet lord of lords…?" Orihime is naked, and all I can see is her back, fate be cruel to Asano Keigo.

"Are you sad Asano-Kun?" she called me 'Kun'? Is this that American show, that 'Twilight Zone'? She continues to look over her shoulder, a smile that sends my monkey brain all the wrong signals. Get it together man! Women are no different from you! Oh…okay, that came out very wrong.

"Are you sad, you look hot too?" Orihime said, turning ever so slightly. Her hand, comes ever so close, the view is getting so much more…

"Wait…stop." I take her hand; damn it's the softest thing I've ever felt.

"Yes?" she asks with that smile that many pass off as ditzy, but those who know her know it hides something deeper than a girl this good looking should have.

"Look, I'm not a pervert…at least. Heck, look I'm a guy and…stuff like this…point is I am not like Mizuiro, I wish, **wished** I was. But-"Orihime gracefully removes her hand.

"I really like you Asano-Kun." She says, then, a scream.

"Can you take a guess with me?" Tatsuki comes out, and kicks where I was. Damn it, I thought I was on (relatively, I mean come on, how safe is a guy really around any woman?) safe terms with her.

"Tatsuki, what **the hell?**" is this one of those indie comics with a subtle yet very annoying message, or worse, a political one? Tatsuki smiles now, except unlike Orihime, her smile is anything but gentle.

"You keep ducking the issue Keigo!" she's kicking me now, fuck! No matter Strawberry keeps his distance.

"Ducking----what----issue?" I ask between kicks and the every odd one prime integer I can dodge.

"You know damn well, come on, do something, fight back, you're a man aren't you?" she yells out, Orihime is clapping.

"Asano-Kun is a nice man, a really nice man!"

"Yeah, and nice don't mean shit!" one kick, Tatsuki cold-cocks me to the ground.

"This is…" I can see Rukia now, doing something, talking with Ichigo, holding hands, kissing…I see Orihime and Tatsuki talking…Chizuru talking with Chad and Ryo…Ichigos little sisters with Chad, all of them there, without me, they don't need me, They're better, superior…

"What the hell is your decision, on this damn issue, Keigo?" Orihime cheering, Tatsuki kicks out again.

"Yes, what?" Ishida.

"Come on bro, what?" Ichigo.

"You want chicks, yeah?" Mizurio.

"You're better than you think." Chad.

"How do you do?" Rukia.

"If only you were a girl Keigo." Chizuru, yeah no prize there.

"Can I go now?" Ryo.

"How the hell do you even see us? We've had almost significant contact with you!" Ichigos loud little sister yelled, the blond one nodded and the dad…posed.

"What the **hell** is wrong with all of you! Sign my yearbook?" wait a minute that last part was supposed to be a thought. Crap, I'm losing track of my own narrative!

"What kind of guy are you Keigo, huh?" Tatsuki again, kicking and shredding my yearbook. Damn, I wanted to do that.

"What kind of guy, what kind of question is that?"  
"You're dodging the issue again, sorry to say I'll agree." E tu? Ichigo?  
"I barely know you, but I can tell you're not all here." Ryo said why the hell is she even here?

"Issue huh? What, that I hate school, that I hate whatever the hell crap job is going to come next? That I feel like the only future for me is already set and is going to be mediocre as shit? Or is it that I am pissed at the whole inevitability? Or that I'm not even pissed at that, just pissed that I'm self aware enough to be tortured by it yet not aware enough to change anything about it?" they all stopped. Except for Tatsuki and Orihime.

"You…tell…us!" more and more kicks from that crazy bitch!

"Keigo-Kun, why are you so sad?"

"I'm…not sad!"

"But why? Ishida-kun, why?" Ishida came down, puts his arm around Orihime, Ichigo and Rukia hold hands, Mizuiro is flocked by Ichigos sisters, the dad plays with a poster…Chad hugs Tatsuki from behind, Ryo holds Chizuru back from them.

"Why, am I…" I get punched from one, two, and then all of them. I'm on the ground.

"Yeah bitch, genetically inferior little history fuck!" Oshima! I get up and duck the punch. "Run ya skank!" he's dropped from behind.

"Hey beautiful, bet you saw this one coming, eh Mister Pop Culture?" Holy…is that me?

"Wha…what is all this? Who are you, me, parallel, evil, or just a symptom of my insanity?" he laughs, runs his hand through his hair.

"You feel violated, out of place, out dated, destined to die, but death is not suffering, no, it's the waiting for it that makes you want to scream out and say 'Save me! That future of the falling leaves, protect me!'"

"He rushes up and pushes me into the…it is a wall, right?" wait did I just state my own narrative now? He then rushes up and pushes me into the wall.

"You're a sad beast, Keigo. You keep it all locked up, behind a smile and a few lame puns and every now and then brilliant joke. Why, what do you truly fear will happen if you try and-"

"Try and what, give me a straight answer instead of this iambic pentameter bullshit! And yes I know what that means!"

"And that is the reason why this is happening! Do you prefer what you are now? Repressed, frustrated, so afraid of the outside world that even a simple act as smiling is seen as an act of outdated weakness!" I get up.

"You don't…you don't know shit about me and apparently neither do I, or them, or anybody else!" now it's me flying at him, he flies, I punch, he kicks. Back and forth, all around wherever the hell this is. The others appear and disappear, Ichigo and Rukia in Black, Ishida in white, all the others in different states of dress I've seen in them in previously. Except for Tatsuki and Orihime…

"You don't know, I don't know, no one knows!" all around me, fists, feet, faces I should know. Images and emotions, passing me by, I can't keep up! That's not fucking fair, it went too fast! What are you telling to me, to grin and bear it as this whatever the hell it is is done to me? Everyone else is doing what they please, passing in and out of paradise, mocking then leaving, I'm the lovable behind curtains puppet that they only occasionally play with? Other Keigo punches me, and I return to the ground.

"All you do is ask, you never even try to answer." He steps back I punch in the dark and…

"Keigo…" my history book in my hand is shredded by Tatsuki's foot and Orihime's tears.

"You just have to wake up."

0000000000

"Huh, what?" I'm in bed…is was a dream. I feel my own hand slap my forehead like it should. I mean jeez, a dream…of course that crazy…should have known. I get up, check the clock. Only eight? Usually I'm passed out until noon at least. Saturday? No work or anything I **have **to do? Nice. Huh, I usually think about that old Spiderman cartoon from '97 or so…not so bad.

"Keigo, honey are you up?"

"Yeah Mom, I'm up."

"Son, you feeling okay, you came home and went right to bed yesterday afternoon." Really? Call it 'Big O' syndrome, but I don't remember. Both my parents behind the door, it's unlocked I think.

"Uh yeah, I'm fine," I look out my window, see the blue and white sky, the city so full of opportunities and happiness for those who just stop thinking and do.

"If you're fine honey…" I turn my head. The doorway is empty. I'm really okay.

"You just have to wake up."

0000000000

To Be Continued

Authors Notes: Wow, not so easy to write this. I know a lot of you out there are wondering: "What the hell…what the hell?" My only explanation is that this is something that I wanted to write for a while now. Ever since graduation I've been thinking…too much as I generally do about every conceivable thing. As stated earlier my job has been shit as well as a few other things on my mind. But whatever, through Keigo and the weirdass but kickass Bleach universe I have said what I wanted to say…or typed, whatever all of you into semantics. The story will continue into the next chapter, hope you enjoyed!

StormBlazer: Heh, glad to see you're enjoying the story. Well, that or you're just being dramatically traumatized because of it, whichever works for you. I know, since when is Keigo such a helpful guy? Call it desperation or an evil plan? As for Keigo's ass being kicked in the near future…oh, wheels and hard ass boots are in motion my friend, hope you stick around.

Foxmagic: Thank you for your comments. Keigos thoughts are a 'tough blast' (my term, patent pending) for me to write, sometimes they hit close to mine but most times they are just random references and assorted crap I've scrounged together. For them being twisted…pop culture will do that to you. As for the 'length' (forgive me, its past midnight and I'm tired), thank you, glad to see you appreciate the extra words. I also prefer longer stories as opposed to drabble but they are a real lady dog bitch to write. Looking forward to your review of this chapter, enjoy.

ColoredBleach: Thank you very much for as always inspiring and kind review for this unworthy story. Keigo's mind has indeed been put through its paces this time huh? The description into the rambling mind of a teenager, my one area of expertise in the entire world. Heh, kidding, I'm good at something else I think. I look forward to your feedback on this chapter hoping you enjoyed it, and by the way, nice new name. (Feeling a little alliterative?)

Gooberific: Hey there, thanks for the positive review. Keigo does have his work cut out, that's for sure, wonder if it'll be a happy ending? For the Tatsuki thing, I figured she was smart but not genius Orihime, Chad, Ichigo, Ishida, or Ryo smart. Maybe I'm too far behind in the manga but she didn't seem to be too high in the rankings, but let's just say she's bad enough in history so that her other grades compensate for it. Plot devices…away! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to any feedback you have for it.

Oh, it's finally over and I get to go to bed….and make tomorrow easier, Nah. I'm still here folks and like I intend to do for a while longer I'll just say: "See you when I see you!" Heh, later.


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